Carpet
Short-term, carpet is often the cheapest flooring to install. However, it usually does not last as long as some other types of flooring. __TOC__ Carpet has the advantage of being warm and cosy underfoot, which is great in the winter months, and could potentially reduce the heating needs during cold seasons. Wooden flooring are currently popular. Wood and other materials that are less porous than carpet, such as tile or linoleum are easier to clean and longer lasting than carpet. Cleaning carpets annually or every eighteen months will prolong the life of your carpet, but even with good care a carpet will probably need to be replaced after 10-15 years, while a wood floor can last more than a century. Advantages * soft, cushioned * sound insulation * warmth * less expensive (Carpet is one of the cheapest floorings.) Disadvantages * more difficult to clean than some floorings * holds allergens * needs replacement more often than most other floorings * carpet under-padding can be a home for fleas or mold Types of carpeting Most carpeting has a layer of padding placed under it. This adds to the softness and the insulating value. Both the carpet and the padding come in a variety of different types and levels of quality. So while it can be one of the least expensive kinds of flooring, it can vary widely in price. Carpets come in many different colors, patterns, styles, fabrics and weaves. ;Some terms... * Berber - a loop pile with thick fibers, usually with bits of other color rather than just one solid base color; named after the Berber people who used a knot that created the same effect, but made more colorful, patterned carpets * cut pile - when the pile (surface) of the carpet is the cut ends of the fibers rather than looped back down to the base * deep pile - carpet with long fibers, usually used for low traffic areas * GoodWeave - a label indicating that child labor was not used, revenue from the labels is used for education of children and monitoring * knotted - used for oriental and Kashmir carpets, there are several types of knots, the fiber is knotted and then cut * Needlefelt - carpet with felted fibers, created by barbed and forked needles; useful for high traffic and commercial areas (e.g., hotels)* pile - the surface or top of the carpet, also called the nap, usually either cut or loop (are you seeing the ends of the fibers or a middle loop?) * shag - a deep pile carpet, often with multiple colors and uneven surface, producing a "shaggy" look * Saxony - a dense, cut pile with twisted fibers * tufted - tufts of yarn pushed through the backing, with cut or looped pile * woven - interlaced or woven fiber or yarn rather than fibers that are perpendicular to the floor Materials * cotton * acrylic * wool * nylon * polyester * polypropylene Cleaning tips Carpets can hold lots of dirt and dust. Before home electricity was available, there was an entire industry around creating carpet cleaning brushes and a major household chore was hanging and beating the carpets to knock the dirt out of them. Vacuums made this chore much easier, using power to suck the dirt out. Professional cleaning with extra strong vacuums, chemicals and a wash with a vacuum that could partially dry the carpet is often used periodically. Now there are home vacuums that can spray water with a cleaning liquid and have enough suction to suck most of the water back out, and spray on cleaners that dry quickly and then can be vacuumed out. Related * floor * rugs * flooring * wood floor * William Morris External links *Flooring Basics - Information and Tips * Carpet Terms from the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) *Choosing a Carpet - Home Improvements *Carpet Cleaning Machines *carpet.org - general information, quotes from some major brands * * Category:Floors